$400K spending plan proposed

City manager urges strengthening youth programs, security

OCEANSIDE  Oceanside City Manager Peter Weiss is recommending that the city spend nearly $400,000 to beef up programs for teens and younger children and improve security in city parks and elsewhere in response to a spate of violent incidents in gang-troubled neighborhoods.

Among other things, Weiss is proposing the city keep recreation centers open later in the day, help North County Lifeline get a Crown Heights youth center up and running quickly, start a summer youth program at Libby Lake Park, expand the police Explorer program for youths, and provide funding to install cameras in city parks and other trouble spots.

Weiss’ recommendations — detailed in a memo he sent to council members this week — are in response to a City Council vote in March instructing him to identify gaps in city services aimed at curbing gang violence. His plan also follows an April 24 joint meeting of the council and the Oceanside Unified School District Board of Trustees to look for ways the two groups could work together on the matter.

Mayor Jim Wood said Wednesday that he hasn’t reviewed Weiss’ proposals but agreed that the city should place a greater emphasis on youth programs, especially in Crown Heights and the Libby Lake neighborhood.

“It’s our top priority after what’s been going on,” Wood said. “I’m supportive of some money going to youth programs.”

The mayor said he especially liked the idea of keeping recreation centers open later in the day.

“I would say that’s a good cause,” Wood said.

Councilman Jack Feller said he supports spending more money on enforcement, but is leery about spending scarce city resources on more programs.

“I thought all along that cameras would be helpful for us in several high-crime areas and in the high-graffiti places, places that have been tagged,” Feller said.

He said the city should work with the schools to impress upon parents that they’re responsible for the actions of their children.

“If the parents aren’t going to take responsibility, it’s not the government’s responsibility to do the parents’ job,” Feller said.

Councilman Jerry Kern said he generally agrees with what Weiss is trying to do.

Without getting into specifics, Kern said “Some of the things I think are probably good ideas and some of them we’ll probably take a pass on.”

“I do think we need to fill in some gaps in services but I don’t know which ones,” Kern said.

Weiss is proposing that the city spend $40,000 for security cameras, leaving it to police to figure out where they should go. He also would spend $140,000 over the next two years to split the cost with the school district of hiring an additional school resource officer.

Weiss said the resource officer would likely divide his time among city middle schools but that would be up to the school district.

“We’ll work out the details of this with the school district,” Weiss said.

City Council members have called for stepped-up action to quell gang violence after two teens were shot and killed in Libby Lake Park and two others wounded March 13 at the same spot where two teens were killed a year earlier.